


Let's Be Astronauts

by MinishMae



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Falling In Love, Falling In Love Again, Flashblacks, Fluff, In which Craig learns Tweek can't control his anxiety, Lack of Communication, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Break Up, Recovery, Swearing, Time Skips, Timeskip, creek - Freeform, possible future smut???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 06:39:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12648186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinishMae/pseuds/MinishMae
Summary: When Cartman kicks Craig and Tweek out of the Freedom Pals Franchise, they look for other ways to entertain themselves and have fun. They ultimately turn to playing a space-related game, and for the most part, have a great time. Only when Tweek's anxiety acts up does Craig say some things he doesn't mean.Things take a turn for the worse when a small, childish argument leads to a breakup. Both Tweek and Craig think it's for the best if they take some time apart.





	1. A Game of our Own

Crime had slowly come to a halt in South Park, but that didn’t mean Coon nor his friends had any time to rest. They still had plenty of work to do for their franchise. With movies being planned and all sorts of things to be added to such franchise, Coon and friends had to be diligent with their work. More recognition meant a better chance at getting their franchise out their quicker. However, there were just a few things Coon needed to do to switch the franchise up-- make it seem like a sweeter deal. When everyone went out on their missions to do good, he motioned for a certain duo to come see him before heading out. Super Craig and Wonder Tweek. With no idea what was going on, they sat down at the table, sharing confused glances with one another. Coon approached them with his hands behind his back and gave them the bad news. 

“Look guys, everyone is doing their part to pull this franchise towards success …” he closed his eyes and sighed. “But, I’m just not feeling it with you two-- and neither is anyone who will watch the movies our franchise has to offer.” 

Tweek took a quick glance at Craig, then back at Coon. “Wh-what does that mean?” he asked him. “Why does it sound like you’re giving us the boot?!” 

“Probably because the asshole is.” Craig replied in his monotone voice as he glared at Coon angrily. “What do you mean you’re ‘not feeling’ it? We’ve done just about as much work as everyone here!” 

Coon brought his clawed fingers to the bridge of his nose and sighed. “No, Super Craig, listen. Between Wonder Tweek having drifted to the other side during Civil War and you having the shittiest costume imaginable, I-- no, everyone, feels it would be best if you two left the franchise.” 

“You’re not even the leader, asshole! Timmy is!” Craig cried, pointing a finger at Coon. Coon simply shook his head, a wicked smile curving on his face. 

“No, Timmy agrees too-- as well as everyone. This is for the best, Super Craig. Or, I would say that, if your title wasn’t revoked~” 

Tweek twitched followed by a grunt as Craig raised his hands at Coon, obviously confused and angry. He slammed his hands down on the table, standing up and shouting straight at the Coon. 

“You didn’t give us enough fuckin’ time!” Craig complained. “We literally had five minutes to switch to playing superheroes, and now you’re saying shit about my costume!?” 

Tweek looked over at Coon, visibly shaking from everything that was happening. “We had a huge part in helping Butthole with everything! We deserve this!” 

“I’m sorry you two, but my mind is made up.” Coon said, walking over to the blackboard in which the franchise plan was laid out upon. He took a piece of chalk and moved over to Super Craig’s movie, crossing it out with a big, bold ‘x’. Craig and Tweek watched in horror as he did so. Coon did the same with Wonder Tweek’s movie before dropping the chalk to the ground. 

“Freedom Pals is no longer in need of you.” Coon gave the two a dastardly smile. “You are relieved of your duty, heroes.” 

“How could you do that!?” Tweek cried. “We did so much for you and you just--” 

Before he could even continue, Craig got up and slammed his chair in, glaring over at Coon. “No, you know what? Fuck you, Cartman. I hope your franchise flops.” and with that being said, he took the taped piece of paper from his jacket, crumpled it, and threw it to the floor; the ‘s’ barely even visible on the crumpled paper. “I’m done.” 

“You’re just gonna let him say those things, Craig?!” Tweek exclaimed, watching as Craig made his way for the stairs. Craig simply nodded back at him and turned back to Coon before sticking his middle finger up at him-- something he did by instinct. 

“If he doesn’t want us in his damn franchise anymore, I’m not going to play his game. You coming, Tweek?” Suddenly, Craig felt a twinge of fear deep inside. When faced with conflict, Tweek either freaks out or does something completely unexpected. Craig hoped to God he wouldn’t choose to stay with Freedom Pals-- he couldn’t handle another Civil War type of thing … not that Cartman would even let him, anyways. 

To both his and Coon’s surprise, Tweek turned back at Coon, reached for his headband and threw it to the ground, glaring at Coon all the same. Still shaking from his actions, Tweek slowly backed away from a clearly, evilly happy Coon, and walked up the stairs following behind Craig. Once they were outside, Tweek quite literally exploded and grabbed hold of Craig’s collar, shaking him angrily. 

“WHY WOULD HE DO THAT!?” he screamed. He let go Craig before wandering around in circles, twitching and freaking out. “We’ve done so much for Freedom Pals and he just tosses us aside! Like we were nothing! Ah, Craig, how are you so calm right now!?” 

“Believe me, dude, I’m seething with anger right now.” Craig replied, his voice never raising above his nasally monotone. “Look, if they can have fun playing superheroes, what’s stopping us from doing the same?”

Tweek stopped stomping about and looked over at Craig, raising a brow. “Huh …? What do you mean? Are we gonna play superheroes … against Freedom Pals!? Oh, God!” he clenched his fists and shot worried glances between Craig and Cartman’s house. “But, what if Cartman gets all angry and goes all out war against us! Ahh!” 

Craig grabbed Tweek’s hands, causing the boy to come out of his fit. He looked into Craig’s eyes for a moment, his nervous tendencies leaving after a few moments. Craig gave him a smile before taking hold of one of his hands and leading him off towards his own house. 

“We’re not gonna play superheroes. I actually have a better idea.” he explained, pulling his boyfriend along. “This is a game only the two of us are gonna play. No one else is allowed. That way, we make up the rules, and no one else can boss us around.” 

“Well, if it’s just the two of us …” Tweek’s gloved hand tightened in Craig’s and a timid smile crossed his cheeks. “Thanks, Craig …” 

“No problem, babe.” Craig replied, a faint smile crossing his face as well. “I think we’ll both like this game a lot better. It’ll be stress-free, and we won’t need to worry about Cartman bitching at us.” 

\--- 

Once they reached Craig’s house they immediately went up to Craig’s room, where Craig began preparing for the game he had planned. Tweek sat on his bed, staring intently at the other as he pulled random things out of his closet and from underneath his bed. Some of these objects included a pack of markers, an old cardboard box, and what looked like an old fish bowl. He gathered them all into a circle in the middle of the floor and stared down at the mess, tapping his chin, thinking of what else they needed for the game. 

Craig had an ‘ah-ha’ moment and rushed back towards his closet. Tweek only watched with a smile on his face as a couple of chuckles escaped him every now and again. He had never seen Craig act this enthralled in something before-- unless you count him taking care of Stripe. That’s something he’s always enthralled in. He watched as Craig ripped several pieces of clothing from the hangars in his closet before throwing them into the pile. 

“I think that should be everything …” Craig muttered quietly. “Oh, wait, one last thing!” He walked over to Stripe’s new cage he had put together. It wasn’t very smart keeping his guinea pig in the basement, so he had him moved to his bedroom instead. He brought Stripe over to Tweek where the blonde haired boy took the small animal and held him in his lap. Craig crossed his arms and smiled. “He’ll be important later.” 

Tweek watched as Craig knelt down and went back to the clutter of items scattered in the center of his room. He raised a brow as Striped crawled all over him. “What’s all this stuff for, Craig? What’s the game we’re playing? And why is Stripe important to it?” 

Craig sat up and looked at Tweek and their pet. “He’s the alien guinea pig from a distant planet, and we’re two astronauts sent to investigate the planet! We’ll take the alien back to our space shuttle to examine it and learn about it. Plus, astronauts are way better than superheroes.” 

Tweek’s hands clenched as Striped sniffed around his arms. He looked over at Craig worriedly. “Don’t aliens, like, eat astronauts? Haven’t you ever seen any of the Alien movies?! What if we end up like that?! Oh, God!” 

Craig simply shook his head and stood up walking over to Tweek and sitting on the bed next to him. He picked up Stripe and held him in his hands. “That’s not gonna happen because we get to make the rules up, and what we say goes.” he tapped Stripe gently on the head, leading the guinea pig to tilt it’s head up and sniff Craig’s hand. “He’s a nice alien guinea pig, and he has no problems with letting us study him.” 

Craig walked over to the cardboard box and set him inside of it, letting Stripe wander around and explore every inch of such a fascinating spaceship. Craig motioned for Tweek to come over, to which he did. The blonde boy got to his knees and crawled over to sit next to Craig as they examined Stripe in the box. Craig reached over and picked up the fishbowl before gently fitting it over Tweek’s head. 

“What are you doing?!” he asked, flinching a bit, hearing the echo of his own voice from inside the glass. After Craig let go, the weight from the glass became apparent to Tweek as he brought both his hands up to either side to keep it straight on his head, 

“An astronaut needs their helmet. You don’t want your head to cave in when you’re out in the vacuum of space, do you?” To that question, Tweek’s eyes widened and he shook his head fast inside the bowl. 

“What’re you gonna wear, then? Don’t you need a space helmet?” Tweek glanced around the clutter, wondering and worrying about what Craig would use. He didn’t want his boyfriend’s head exploding in space. 

Craig hadn’t thought of that. He glanced around, curious as to what he could use for a space helmet. He looked in the closet, but to no avail found anymore fish bowls. He groaned as he crouched to the floor, attempting to find anything under his bed. Tweek also knelt beside him, glancing under the bed as best he could with a giant bowl over his head. Craig sat up, and groaned again, thinking hard about what to do. Suddenly, it hit him. He turned to Tweek and happily poked at his chullo, before pulling at the flaps on the side and tying them beneath his chin. 

“I don’t need a helmet, because I already have one.” he explained. “This’ll work just fine for a space helmet. Now that we have that ready …” 

He grabbed the package of markers and handed several colors to Tweek. “Now, we gotta make this rocket look badass! We gotta give it a name, and all the details of an actual rocket!” 

Tweek nodded and moved to the front of the ‘spaceship’ drawing on the important details. Craig went to the side of the cardboard box and drew on a name for the spaceship. In big, black, bold letters he wrote out ‘The Retriever” , crudely spelled out of course. He was a 4th grader. He didn’t care about spelling. 

Tweek peered at the name of their ship and raised a brow at Craig. “The Retriever? What kind of name is that?” 

“We’re retrieving data on stripe-- er, the alien!” Craig explained. He peered back into the box, watching Stripe exploring the spaceship. “That’s why it’s called The Retriever.” 

Tweek chuckled slightly nodded, “I guess that makes sense.” he finished added his final touches and capped the marker. “Now what? Our rocket looks ship-shape if you ask me.” 

“Now, we gotta get into space. You remember those star stickers you got me for my birthday?” Tweek nodded, only for Craig to point up at his ceiling. When Tweek looked up, he let out a loud ‘whoa!’ looking at the stars spread out across the ceiling. Small stars, big stars, and even planets and what looked like galaxies dotted Craig’s room. 

He hadn’t noticed, but Craig moved towards the bedroom door to close it, and then walked over towards the window where he closed to the blinds. It was now plenty darker in Craig’s room, which ultimately made the star stickers begin to work. Being glow in the dark, the entire room began to glow up. 

Craig sat beside Tweek and watched the blonde boy stare up in awe. A smile never left his face, and Craig could feel his own cheeks growing hot. God, he was adorable. Instinctively, he took hold of Tweek’s hand as the two stared up at the ceiling. 

“Criag?” Tweek asked. Craig turned back to him with an audible ‘hm’. “Do you think we’ll ever go to actual outer space?” 

Tweek glanced down and found himself tugging at his shirt, as he usually did when he was nervous or anxious. Craig looked at him confused. If Tweek asked such a question and got all excited about it, why was he nervous about it? 

“I mean … it’s be absolutely terrifying ...and, I think I’d die of shock and terror if I ever went into space …” he looked over at Craig, seeing a green light from the glowing stars above them glowing on his face. “But, I think if I went with you, I could actually do it.” 

Craig smiled sincerely. That was something no other kid, or even his parents would catch him doing. As far as he was concerned, everyone thought of him as a bad kid, and he quite liked that title. However, when he was around Tweek, it was like a new side of him came out. And he quite liked that as well. He took Tweek’s other hand as it fidgeted with his own shirt and he looked the blonde in his eyes. Even in the dark, he could very well see the blue/green contrast in his eyes. One of the many things he really liked about Tweek. 

“I think we could get there someday. It’d be really cool to see space someday.” he looked back up at the ceiling. “Like, actual space, not just glow in the dark stars in my bedroom.” 

He stood up, helping Tweek to his feet as he put one foot in the box. “But, for now, looks like we’re just gonna have to pretend. It’s not like two fourth graders can actually go to space-- unless you’re with Stan’s group. They always seem to get into a lotta shit.” 

Tweek snickered, nodding back. “Like what happened when we played superheroes-- and even when we were fighting over the Stick of Truth. It always seems like tons of shit happens around them. 

“God, tell me about it. Like, would it kill them for at least once to actually be a kid?” Craig complained, sitting in the box. Tweek sat beside him, nodding as he groaned in agreement. 

“But, enough about Cartman and those guys-- this is just us right now.” Craig said with a smile. “So, before we go off to space, we need to figure out who’s gonna be the captain and who’s gonna be the assistant.” 

Tweek suddenly glowed with excitement. “Oh, oh, can I be the captain, Craig?!” Tweek smiled excitedly, almost appearing to be bouncing up and down. 

As much as Craig loved how excited he was, he also wanted the title. He began bullshitting his way to said title. “Well, a captain needs to keep calm and collected under pressure-- I don’t know if you could do that with your anxiety. Perhaps I should be captain, y’know? Keep the crew under control.” 

He watched as Tweek glanced down sadly, all excitement leaving him. “Oh …” he said, defeated. “Alright …” 

“But, don’t worry, an assistant has an important job too! You’ll be the guy who studies the aliens and gathers information on them! Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Craig asked, giving Tweek a smile. Tweek couldn’t stay sad forever-- not when Craig kept smiling at him like that. He nodded, understanding his role in the game now. 

After a long awaited blastoff, the two were finally in space. To give the rocket a more roomier feel, Craig ultimately turned his room into the shuttle. He turned the lights on, and opened the blinds to reveal a starry sky outside. The kids hadn’t even realized how dark it had gotten. Craig turned to his assistant and handed him a notebook. 

“That’s the logbook. You’ll record everything you see the alien do. Got it cadet?” Craig explained, attempting at a booming voice. A captain had to seem all powerful and leader-like, after all. This was one of the ways to do it. Tweek laughed at Craig’s voice and nodded, turning back to Stripe. 

Craig went about his own business, leaving Tweek to tend to the alien. He was writing down Stripe’s every movements and everything he did, when suddenly, he froze up. He knew what Craig had told him earlier, about Stripe not going wild like the aliens in the movies, but he couldn’t help but think that way. Stripe had bitten Tweek before, and it hurt like Hell. He couldn’t begin to imagine what Alien Stripe’s bite would feel like. Would it be venomous? Painful? Would Stripe lay eggs in him and they burst out through his stomach? He began shaking as all those terrible thoughts plagued his mind, before letting out a scream. 

Caught completely off guard, Craig rushed over, grabbing Tweek by his shoulders and shaking him. “Tweek! What happened? Are you ok??” 

“Stripe’s an alien!!” Tweek cried out. Craig let go of his anxious boyfriend and gave him a confused look. 

“Yeah … I told you that …?” What was Tweek getting at? And why was he screaming like that? The last thing he needed was his parents to come and yell at the two of them. 

“If Stripe’s an alien, then he could easily kill us! L-like in the movies!!” Tweek cried, staring down at the guinea pig, who in turn looked confused back up at his owners. Tweek let out a cry as he and Stripe shared glances. He cowered behind Craig, shaking terribly. “Ahh! He’s gonna attack! He’s gonna lay eggs in my body and I’m gonna give birth to aliens!!” 

Craig took hold of Tweek again. “Ok, no, first of all-- that doesn’t make any sense. You’re a boy. You can’t give birth to alien babies.” Tweek looked behind him nervously, back at the box, completely ignoring him. “Secondly, I already told you, Stripe is a nice alien. He won’t hurt you.” 

“How do you know!?” he cried, ripping off the fish bowl. “Aliens are unpredictable!” 

Craig sighed angrily and untied his chullo from around his chin. “Whatever, Tweek.” he went over to the box and picked Stripe up, bringing him back to his cage. “Obviously you’re too anxious to even play a simple space game.” 

Tweek felt hurt at that statement. He didn’t mean to ruin their game. Once again, his anxiety got in the way of any possible fun. They were having fun, and his constant worrying had to get in the way. He glanced down sadly, fidgeting with his shirt again. He held back the urge to scream, cry, or leave. Or perhaps all three at once. 

“I’m sorry, Craig …” he said quietly. “I didn’t mean it ... “ 

“I know you didn’t.” Craig replied just as quiet. He walked past Tweek without giving him any attention. “Dinner should be ready soon. Let’s go see what mom made.” 

Without a word, Tweek followed him downstairs. He knew Craig was shitty at communicating, and he had to give him props for trying. But, sometimes, Craig didn’t know how to handle it. Tweek couldn’t blame him, sometimes his emotions got out of control, and he wasn’t sure how even he could handle it. The best thing to do was to give Craig a chance, at least. He was trying, and that’s all he could ask for. 

Even if his words did sting a little bit …


	2. Taking a Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is gonna hurt you guys c;

After dinner, Tweek had gone home. Craig was confused as to why he left so early, due to it being a weekend and all, but he didn’t question it. Maybe Tweek was just tired? He did seem quiet during dinner, and not only Craig noticed it-- his parents and Tricia also noticed it. Perhaps he missed playing superheroes with the others? He didn’t blame him, so did he. 

He went up to his room after he left and put the cardboard box, along with it’s contents in the corner of his room. They had stopped playing their game abruptly due to Tweek’s outburst, but they could continue it tomorrow. As Craig was cleaning up, his sister appeared in his doorway, typing away on her phone. 

“How come Tweek went home so early? It’s not even time for bed yet.” she asked her brother. Craig turned to her and simply shrugged. 

“How should I know? Just cuz’ he’s my boyfriend doesn’t mean I know how to read him like a book.” he sighed angrily slumping beside his bed. “He confuses the Hell out of me sometimes.” 

Tricia walked into Craig’s room, sitting on her brother’s bed, still having her nose buried in her phone. “Well, have you tried talking to him? Maybe he’s upset about something?” 

“Yeah, good thinking Tricia, like I didn’t realize that before.” Craig took his chullo off and rubbed his hand through his hair, goraning angrily. Tricia was right. He knew that. But, he wasn’t a good communicator in the slightest. The last time he tried talking things out with Tweek, he sounded like a sarcastic asshole. All this relationship crap was new to him, and he wasn’t sure what he was doing. 

“Well, I don’t know what you want from me then.” Tricia said, taking her eyes off of her phone. “If you really care about Tweek, then you’ll figure out what’s wrong. Well, that’s just my opinion anyways. After all, I’d hate to see you two break up. I can’t wait for you two to have a baby so I can be the best aunt in the world!” 

Craig looked up at her, confused as to where the hell that came from. But, in the end, she was right. Not about he and Tweek having baby. That’s physically impossible. But, about him figuring out what's wrong with Tweek. He usually said things he didn’t mean. He always said things without thinking of the consequences, and he knew they’d come back to bite him in the ass. He looked over at Tricia and gave her a smirk, before gently punching her arm. 

“Thanks, Trish.” he said quietly. “I’ll text him tonight.” He was still baffled as to how a six year old was able to help him through his relationship troubles. But, he was grateful to have her.

Tricia nodded happily. “Great! Because, I really wanna be an aunt.” She began to leave the room when she heard Craig audibly sigh. He stopped her and she turned to him confused. 

“Trish, you do know two boys can’t have a baby, right?” he told her. Her eyes widened, and she stared back in shock. 

“What?!” she cried. “That’s not fair!!” 

And so, Craig had to spend the next half hour explaining things a six year old should never learn. He figured he’d hear it from his parents in the long run, but what’s done is done. Tricia left his room, and he got ready for bed pretty early. 

Craig lay there in bed, staring at his phone. In his contacts, he scrolled down to Tweek’s name and he froze. His hand was shaking. Why the hell was his hand shaking? Why was he so scared to text him about today? He gulped before tapping his name and then sending him a text.He probably rewrote the text a total of five times before finally settling on something. 

**‘hey how come you left early today? i didnt upset you or anything did i?’**

Now that Craig had actually sent the message, he began having second thoughts. Was it too direct? Did he ask it in a mean way? God, for once could he just do something right? He buried his head into his pillow, still clutching his phone in hand. It was quiet for what seemed like a long time, and he even began to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, his phone vibrated in his hand and he jolted awake, seeing a text from Tweek. 

**‘you kinda did. you act like i can control my anxiety but i cant craig. i know your trying but it sucks man.’**

Craig felt his stomach twist into knots when he read that text. So, Tricia was right-- Tweek really was upset about something. Craig didn’t reply for a long time, wondering what he could possibly say. He feared he may say the wrong thing and get Tweek even more pissed off at him. In the end, maybe he should just apologize. He typed a message and pressed send, but he still wondered if it was good enough. 

**‘i am trying babe. im sorry.’**

He couldn’t help but think that text sounded guilt-trippy, but it was the complete and honest truth. Craig had never had to dealt with things like this before. It was all new to him. He felt like a dumbass-- saying things before thinking of the consequences. He really hoped Tweek would forgive him. He had to try with all his might to not fuck up again. At the same time, he felt pathetic having to apologize for something that should come so easy to him. 

His phone buzzed a minute later. 

**‘Ok.’**

Ok? What does that mean? Craig felt his chest grow tight when he saw that text. What the hell did Tweek mean by ‘ok’? He couldn’t help but feel like he was pissed off at him. He needed to be sure. 

**‘so are we cool then?’**

He waited for a while, thinking Tweek had just gone to sleep, and finally heard one final buzz. He opened up messenger and glared at the phone. 

**‘were cool.’**

Craig sighed in relief and felt all the pressure and knots in his chest subside. That was incredibly stressful. He happily put the phone on his bedside table and buried his face deep into his pillow. Just as he was about to go to sleep, he realized something. Quickly he sat up and grabbed his phone again, typing one last message to Tweek. 

**‘i love you.’**

A few seconds later, Tweek replied. 

**‘i love you too craig.’**

Now that that was said and done, Craig could finally get some well deserved rest, and tomorrow, things would go back to the way they used to be. He’d have to remember to thank Tricia in the morning for all the great advice! Soon enough, Craig finally found sleep. 

\--- 

The next morning came, and once again, Craig invited Tweek over so they could continue with their own game. It took him longer than normal to get there, but Craig shrugged it off as nothing. When Tweek came in, he had a sad look over him. Was his apology not enough? 

“Tweek, what’s wrong?” Craig asked as he shut the door behind him. 

“I saw everyone playing superheroes outside and … I dunno, it just kinda sucks that we’re not with them anymore.” 

Craig bit his lip, trying to come up with something to say. He was also angry that they got kicked out, but there wasn’t much they could do in this situation. He brought a hand to Tweek’s shoulder as they walked along to Craig’s room. 

“Don’t worry about them, Tweek. They’re the ones missing out without us there. WE were the ones people truly liked. Now their franchise is gonna flop without us there.” Craig explained, hoping to cheer Tweek up, even just a little bit. 

“B-but, I don’t wish that upon those guys. Cartman, maybe, but I dunno … they deserve to have fun too …” 

Craig sighed. Just as he was about to say something, he held off and calmed down. Good thing too, he was about to say something that could’ve come out very, very badly. 

“But, we can play our game. Don’t worry about them. If Cartman does the same to them, then they can go off and play their own thing, right?” he took Tweek’s hands in his own, and the blonde boy looked up at him, smiling for a moment. 

“Yeah, I suppose so.” As they headed upstairs, Tweek glanced into Craig’s room seeing the cardboard box spaceship from the night before. “We’re gonna play spacemen again, right?” 

“Yup! And this time, I’m bending the rules a little bit!” Craig said happily. Tweek’s eyes seemed to gleam at that statement. 

“Oh, does that mean we can swap places?” Tweek asked giddily. Craig turned to him, raising a brow. 

“No, I’m still the captain and you’re still the assistant. That much hasn’t changed.” he saw another sad looked overcome his boyfriend. Great job, Craig. Great job. 

“I’ve made it less stressful for you, look--” Craig opened the door to his room to reveal a similar setup to yesterday. The only thing was the Stripe was still in his cage. 

“What did you do?” Tweek asked confused. “I don’t see anything different.” 

“So, while you were gone, Stripe-- er, the alien, escaped from his compound! He fled and now he’s off in space somewhere. So, now, there’s no more studying the alien!” he had really outdone himself, he thought. This would be a real stress-free thing for Tweek, and the two could have fun again. At least, that’s what he thought. He watched as Tweek’s eyes bugged out of his head and he began panicking. 

“The alien escaped!?” he cried. “Oh god, Craig, that’s not good! What if it comes back for our blood!?” 

“No, no, Tweek-- he escaped and flew off into distant space. We don’t need to worry about him anymore!” Craig tried explaining. “It’s safe now!” 

Tweek only ignored his comforting words and panicked even more. “OH GOD, he’s gonna come back and harvest our organs! He’ll be the one studying us!! AHH!” 

“Oh, would you just CALM DOWN?” Craig cried. “God, Tweek, it’s just a fucking game. I’m trying to make things LESS stressful for you, and here you are making things worse for yourself!” 

Tweek snapped back into reality, hearing Craig’s words. He was still shaking; violently. Even moreso after hearing what Craig had to say. He clenched his fists and gave Craig an angry glance. 

“Well, when you make up all these shitty rules and use aliens in the game, that shit freaks me out, man!” Tweek cried back, throwing his arms in the air. “You know what kind of creepy shit happens here! Aliens could really come!” 

Craig turned to him, giving him an utterly confused and angry look. “We’re PRETENDING, Tweek! It’s all made up!” he shook his head and turned away from him, crossing his arms. “God, it’s so difficult to try and keep you happy. I feel like I’ll never be able to fix you.” 

That struck a nerve. A big one. Tweek couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He was less angry, and more upset and dumbfounded by what Craig just said. 

“Fix me?” he choked out. “So, my emotions really do freak you out? You wanna fix me so you don’t need to worry about my anxious fits, is that it?!” 

Once again, Craig threw his hands in the air, huffing angrily. “Yeah, kinda! Jesus, Tweek, I don’t know how to put up with this bullshit! It’s all new to me!” 

“You could at least try, Craig!” Tweek yelled back, clenching his fists, and feeling his face grow hot with anger. Tears began welling up in his eyes, as he felt the urge to cry. He held back though. “I’m sorry I freak you the fuck out!” 

Craig looked visibly angry. He stomped hard on the ground, yelling loudly now. “I AM TRYING, DAMMIT!” He groaned loudly, letting out his frustration. “Maybe if I wasn’t forced into this goddamn relationship, I could’ve had more time to figure things out!” 

Tweek looked at him, hurt. “...You thought this was forced …?” 

“Kinda!” Craig complained. “Everyone wanted us together, and-- God!” Craig turned towards his bed and sat down, looking about ready to scream. “It honestly did feel kinda forced! I mean, yeah, I ended up liking you in the end, but, Jesus Christ!” 

Tweek said nothing. He just stared at his angry boyfriend. Both of them were seething with anger, and no more words had to be discussed. Tweek sighed and grabbed hold of his shirt, fidgeting in his spot. 

“I think … I think we should take some time apart, Craig …” Tweek said quietly. His voice got caught in his throat, choking himself up. He bit his lip and closed his eyes, forcing himself not to break down. 

Craig looked up at him with wide eyes. But, in the end, he just nodded slightly. He looked back down, his black hair covering his eyes. “Maybe that’s for the best …” 

Without another exchange, Tweek left Craig’s room, closing the door behind him. He walked down the stairs only to see Mrs. Tucker in the living room. She gave Tweek a smile and wave, and Tweek tried his best to give a smile back. Of course, he did look like he was about to break down. 

She looked over at the boy with a worried expression before asking if he was alright. That was enough to bring Tweek over the edge. He nodded and in a whiny voice said. “I just wanna go home, Mrs. Tucker …” He ignored anything she had to say and walked out of Craig’s house. 

His parents were still at work, and he’d have the house to himself for a while. Ignoring any calls from his friends he got on his way home, he held everything in until he got home. Once his house was within his sights, he could feel tears on his cheeks. He walked inside and closed the door behind him, letting out a saddened cry as he slumped to the ground. 

Tweek sat there, a sobbing mess. He pulled at his hair and took a clenched fist, hitting his own head hard. How could he have messed something like this up? His anxiety always got in the way! Always, always, always! He always made his friends freaked out because of his twitchiness, and now he ruined a great relationship because of everything. 

He ran his hands through his hair, hiccuping and crying loudly, attempting to pull himself together. This had to be the worst feeling in the world. He had ruined everything. Him and his goddamn emotions always ruined everything. He freaked Craig out, and ruined an important relationship to him. Craig was really trying, he knew that. So why did he freak out so badly? 

He tucked his knees to his chest and buried his face in them, sobbing. He had done it for real this time. They were spending time away from each other, and who knew how long that’d last? ‘Way to go, Tweek’ he thought to himself, shaking horribly. ‘Way to go …’ 

\---

Craig sat there in the darkness of his room, quietly-- not moving. What just happened buzzed in his mind like angry bees. What had just happened didn’t feel real. Here he told himself that he’d remain calm and talk with Tweek before doing anything rash, and off he went, complaining and talking without thinking first. How could he have said those things to Tweek? He truly didn’t mean any bit of what he said. He glanced down at his hands, shaking on his knees. He was angry. Furious. Absolutely pissed. Both at himself and at Tweek, but mostly at himself. How could he have let this happen? 

He threw himself back onto his bed, letting out a yell-- letting out the frustration that had built up. He reached for his pillow and stuffed his face into it, muffling any groans or yells he had left over. In his ten years of life, he had never felt this shitty before. He had heard kids talking about breakups and how terrible they were, but he never figured it’d feel this bad. 

He felt his own face growing hot with anger and the urge to cry. He simply lay there and think about what just happened. It was apparent that he and Tweek wouldn’t be talking for awhile. Over and over, Craig repeated the same phrase in his head. 

‘Way to fucking go, Craig.’ he started crying as he pulled the pillow closer to his face. ‘... Way to go …’ 

They never did talk to each other much after that. Or, really at all. Word got out at what happened, and everyone was shocked. They seemed so happy together, so to hear about it was absolutely crazy. The boys moved out of elementary school and into middle school, still never talking. High School came around and they had nearly forgotten about each other. 

Passing by each other in the hallways was nothing to them. They never glanced at each other, and they each found their own things to do. It was as if they never existed. At times, they’d remember their elementary days, and it’d be nostalgic as Hell. 

But, altogether, they forgot about one another. They stopped talking, just like they had said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing like petty kiddy arguments~   
> Craig meant none of what he said, but he let his anger and frustration get the best of him sadly 


	3. Familiar Faces

It was close to seven, and that meant it was almost time to punch out. Craig would take occasional glances up at the clock from his position in the back of the kitchen, wondering if he’d finish in time or if he’d have to stay longer. He hated staying longer than he had to. You’d think after working a job for about a year, you’d be used to it, but you’d also be dead wrong by thinking that. 

Craig started working in the kitchen of Hell’s Pass Hospital just over a year ago. He was practically forced into getting a job as soon as he turned 16, thanks to his parents. Saying he wasn’t doing anything around that house and that he needed to get his own money from now on. Hell, they even went out and filled out the application for him, applying him themselves. He was still pissed off that they did that, but, at the same time, he was getting money and that was all that mattered. 

There were lots of jobs to do in the kitchen, but more than likely, Craig was always put on pots and pans duty in the back of the kitchen. There he would stand for three hours just washing pans stacking them in their rightful place. That was the easy part. The part Craig hated more than anything had to be when he’d have to bring a tray up to the patients in the hospital. See, when people didn’t get what they wanted, or they were too damn picky, they’d ask for another tray, and Craig always got saddled with that job. He absolutely loathed that part of his job. 

Going up where people are sick and dying always creeped the Hell out of Craig. As if he wasn’t worried about getting sick or a disease from the people in the hospital, he had to worry about the asshole nurses on the floors as well. They’d sign off for the tray, and be rude all the time. It never failed, and so it was an endless loop of taking up trays and washing pots and pans. 

But today was going to be different. He was going to get out early, and he’d be able to go home and die on his bed. No homework tonight, no problems-- he could just home and sleep forever. 

“Craig! Callback!!” 

Speak of the motherfucking devil. Just when he was about to finish too. 

Craig groaned angrily as he pulled his hands out of the sink, absolutely drenched with soapy water. He grabbed a nearby rag and wiped himself dry, heading to the front of the kitchen where he found a neatly made tray for one of the patients. His boss looked at him as she finished the tray. 

“Are you finished back there?” 

“Yeah. I just put the last of them away.” 

“Then you can head home after you bring this up.” 

A small smile grew on Craig’s face as he nodded and took the tray with him. He was headed to the ICU section of the hospital. Again, he groaned. That was where the worst of the nurses were. Always demanding more and more food for the patients, and never being nice about it either. He hated it so much. 

He made his way there, faking smiles at passersby and nurses. The thing about working at a hospital was that you had to look happy all the time. Always treat people nicely, even if you’re having the shittiest day of your life. He finally arrived at the ICU, and walked inside the secluded area of the hospital, walking up to the desk where the nurses and receptionists sat. 

For once, the lady actually didn’t seem all that mean. As she signed off for the tray, Craig glanced around, taking in the sights of the ICU. He had to admit, it was always a little sad seeing people in this part of the hospital. Always meant something was really fucked up with them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an old man lying in one of the beds, being fed by some nurse. He scowled at the two of them. He hoped there would never come a day when he’d be in that desperate need of help. The day where someone had to wipe his own ass and take care of him? God, he hoped that day would never come. The nurse gave Craig his slip and he went on his way. 

It was about ten minutes after seven when he was finally able to clock out. Could have been better, but it also could’ve been worse. He always loved getting out early, even if it was by a few minutes. He walked out into the parking lot and saw the old truck he had bought himself. It was rundown and pretty shitty, but it drove, so it was whatever. He could already feel the warm embrace of his bed, and he nearly felt like he could just fall asleep in his car. 

As soon as he got in and turned the car on, his phone vibrated with a text. He looked at it, and saw a message from his mother. 

**‘Can you please run to the store and pick up a few groceries? We need milk, bread, and paper towels. Thanks!’**

Craig felt dead inside. He just wanted to go home and sleep. But, he knew if he didn’t come home with this groceries, his mom would kill him. He sighed and threw the car into drive, heading off, reluctantly, to the nearest Whole Foods. 

\---

It was a chilly night, and Craig, being the idiot that he was, forgot to bring his jacket to work. The absolutely wonderful thing about his uniform is that it’s short sleeves year round. It could be a fucking blizzard outside, and you’d have to wear short sleeves. And being a mountain town, South Park is always facing blizzards. Good thing his work was inside a heated building. Nonetheless, it was freezing, and his truck’s air didn’t like to work. 

When he pulled into Whole Foods, he tried finding a parking spot close to the building so he could grab the shit he needed and get home quick. Not even knowing if he had enough money, he grabbed his wallet and hurried inside. He was sweaty, gross, and cold and just wanted to take a hot shower and go to bed. Was this too much to ask for? Apparently so. 

It didn’t take him long to grab the things he needed. Luckily, they were all together for the most part. He took what he needed and headed to the nearest checkout line. He scrolled through his phone as he waited, moving up in the line, when he heard a familiar voice call out to him. 

“Craig? Is that you?” Craig looked up to see someone working the cash register. A girl with long, curly blonde hair who he had known decently well. Craig gave a smile as he walked up to Bebe, setting his things on the belt. 

“Hey, Bebe.” he said, checking his wallet for money. “I didn’t know you worked here.” 

“Yeah, I just started a few months ago. It gets me money, so I can’t complain.” she explained as she scanned his things. “I haven’t seen you much at school. What classes are you taking?” 

“Eh, basic bullshit. I’m taking chem and also taking Spanish. Trig is a bitch, as you know.” he saw Bebe roll her eyes as an agreement to that statement. They both shared an awkward laugh. 

“Are you and Clyde still dating? I knew you two were together, but …” she went quiet as she rung up the last of his things. She looked up at Craig and noticed him go quiet. He dug his hands into his pockets and shrugged. 

“We kinda broke it off a while ago. We weren’t exactly mad at each other … just really weren’t feeling it anymore. I do still hang out with him and the guys though.” 

Bebe nodded, sliding Craig’s things into a plastic bag and handing them over. “I getcha. Yeah, Clyde is a little confusing. Sometimes he’s the sweetest guy, and the next, I can’t tell what the Hell he’s thinking. 

“That’s right, you two dated as well.” Craig smiled again, as he handed the money over to Bebe. “I guess you’re right about one thing. He can be confusing to read. Really sweet dude though.” 

Bebe giggled in agreement. She looked past Craig and noticed a bigger line forming. She sighed and started ringing up the next customer’s things. 

“Well, it was nice seeing you again, Craig.” Bebe said happily. “If you see Clyde, tell him I said hi!” 

Craig nodded and headed off, groceries in hand. It was always nice seeing familiar faces around town. Between classes and work, you never really get to see anybody, and it really does suck. He made his way towards the sliding doors leading outside when he heard the loud, pounding noises of rain hitting the building. He walked outside, still covered up from the building’s overhand and saw it coming down in buckets. 

He looked over at his car, ready to make a dash for it. It’d suck being drenched in freezing rain, but he’d be home soon enough. Just as he was about to make a run for it, he heard a familiar voice. Well, more like familiar noises. He raised a brow and glanced to the side. A few feet away stood a blonde haired kid around his age, holding several heavy looking grocery bags in both of his hands. He stared up at the skies that didn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. He panicked, looked like he would get ready to dash through the rain, but then he’d stop. 

Craig immediately remembered him. It was Tweek. It felt as if they hadn’t talked in ages, and to be completely honest, Craig couldn’t remember why. He remembered the two of them being friends when they were younger, and even when they pretended to date. But, for the life of him, he couldn’t seem to recall why they stopped talking. It was a shame, because Craig always sort of liked Tweek. After a few moments of watching Tweek get ready to brave the storm, he walked over to him and gently poked his side. 

Tweek jumped, seemingly terrified and glanced over at Craig. His eyes bugged out of his head, and he seemed to shiver even more. 

“CRAIG!” Tweek yelped. 

“Tweek!” Craig yelped back in a sarcastic, mocking tone. 

“What are you doing here?!” he cried. 

“Uh, shopping? Same as everyone else here.” 

Tweek looked away from him, glancing out into the drenched parking lot. He was still shaking; whether it was from panicking or because he was freezing, he couldn’t be sure. 

“Is your mom or dad coming to pick you up?” Craig asked, cocking his head to the side. Mr and Mrs Tweak were nice parents, but it didn’t seem like they helped their son’s anxiety much. 

“No …” Tweek replied, glancing about worriedly. “They were busy at the shop, so they made me come get groceries …” 

Jesus, was everyone’s parents making their kids go out and get groceries tonight? Craig sighed and glanced back over at his car. 

“If you want, I can give you a ride home?” Craig insisted. “You don’t wanna run all the way home in this storm.” 

“N-no, I’ll be fine …” Tweek insisted back. “I’ve done this before …” 

Craig looked at him, growing irritated of his stubbornness. “You’re gonna run home for miles in freezing rain? The groceries will be soaked by the time you get home and so will you.” 

Tweek lowered his arms, defeated and finally looked over at Craig. Craig took his keys out of his pocket and flashed the lights on his truck. 

“My truck is right over there, dude. It’s no trouble, really.” Craig explained. “Your house is on the way, anyways.” 

Tweek nodded, and as soon as the truck was unlocked, the two darted for it. Tweek let out yelps as the freezing rain hit them. Even with the truck being close by, every frozen droplet sent shivers down their back, and they were getting drenched. Craig opened up the door to his side, as Tweek ran to the other side, using the grocery bags as poor shields against the rain. Once they were both inside, they sat there, both shivering. 

“God, it had to be freezing rain.” Craig complained, turning the truck on. “Couldn’t have been snow-- had to be freezing fucking rain.” 

Tweek was being really quiet. No reply, no witty comment or joke. He just sat there, quiet, as his hair and clothes dripped with cold droplets. Craig fidgeted with the heat knob, hoping to get it working. 

“Shit, man, sorry. I don’t think the heat works properly …” Craig explained, hitting his fist against the many knobs on the dashboard. “Hopefully we won’t get sick from this bullshit, huh?” 

He was still quiet. Only shrugging at what Craig had to say. Either Craig was completely oblivious, or something nasty happened when they were kids to make Tweek give him the silent treatment. Here he was, prolonging his nice date with his bed, helping Tweek get home-- and he was getting a silent treatment. 

“Dude, if you really want to walk home, I can let you.” Craig said with a sigh. “I just figured since we live close to each other it’d be better than--” 

“How come you decided to talk to me, Craig?” Tweek finally asked, looking over at Craig. Craig only raised a brow at him. Tweek glared at him, not angrily, but more confused than anything. “You could’ve just walked to your car and left me there. You could’ve ignored me like we have been doing all these years.” 

He finally looked down, clutching his bags in his hands, fiddling with the handles. “Like, I dunno, you could’ve just walked away. But, you decided to talk to me. How come?” 

Craig bit his lip, thinking of a good way to reply. How could you reply to something like that? He looked over at him as he shift the truck into reverse. “We used to be good friends, didn’t we? What’s wrong with helping a friend out once in awhile?” he turned away as he looked out the window as they backed up. 

“But, we haven’t talked in years, Craig …” Tweek said quietly. “We haven’t even acknowledged each other since elementary school …” 

Craig sighed, “What’s your point, Tweek? What do you want me to say to you? Do you want to walk home or do you want a ride?” 

Tweek shut up and looked back to the floor as they drove off away from the supermarket. There was a painful awkward silence between them. Craig meant to do another good deed, because god knows he did so little of them, and now he was getting chewed out by Tweek. Why was it that things always came back to bite him in the ass? 

Tweek’s lips curved into a tiny smile, and his voice was quiet. “I’m just … glad we’re talking again is all. I never would’ve thought you’d be the one to give me a ride home.” 

Craig didn’t say anything this time, just gave his old friend a nod. He turned the radio on to drown out any of the awkward silence. He was at least glad that the radio still worked, otherwise his drive to and from work would be a painful one. Between the rock music blasting in the car and the heavy rain pounding against the roof, Craig couldn’t even hear himself think. He loved that when driving though. 

He would occasionally glance over at Tweek who was staring out the window. Maybe, since they got these awkward introductions out of the way, they could finally start talking again. He turned the radio off, to which Tweek looked over in confusion. 

In order to break the ice, Craig asked a simple question. “So … how’s school going?” 

Tweek sighed and gave a shrug. “Not very good … I’ve been put into these extra help classes for Math and English …” he closed his eyes and pressed his head against the seat. “It sucks, dude. I feel like I’m the dumbest kid in South Park.” 

Craig glanced over quick, “Hey, that’s not true-- don’t say that shit. There’s plenty of dumber kids around here. Some people just aren’t good at certain things. You may not be good at Math or English, but you’re good at other stuff.” he brought his eyes back onto the stormy road. “Like, look at me, I’m not good at--” 

“Communicating …” Tweek said sadly. Craig felt his chest tighten up at Tweek’s statement. He had to be talking about not staying in contact over the years. 

“Yeah …” Craig replied quietly. “Look, I’m sorry we haven’t been the best of friends recently, but, I’m willing to make it up to you-- we can hang out and play video games like we used to and--” 

“That’s not what I meant, Craig … God, did you really forget?” As Craig pulled up to Tweek’s house, he stopped the car, put it in park and glared at Tweek. What on earth was he talking about? Tweek looked over at him, his eyes filled with sadness. 

“Remember when you wanted to play astronauts? We got kicked out of playing superheroes with the other kids and …” he looked at Craig who seemed to have only a look of confusion on him. Tweek shook his head and opened the truck door. “Nevermind, it was dumb … thanks for the ride, man …” 

He slammed the door and ran for the house, letting himself in quickly, leaving Craig with his thoughts. As he drove off towards his house, he couldn’t help but replay what Tweek said over and over in his head. He remembered playing superheroes and knights when they were younger, but what the Hell was he talking about? Astronauts? He didn’t know what he was even talking about. 

As soon as Craig pulled into the driveway, it was as if a lightbulb had turned on in his head. He instantly remembered everything. He remembered that Tweek had freaked out over something small and Craig took it horribly. He remembered the nasty things he said to Tweek, and how they both blew up over such a tiny problem. 

He ran his hands through his hair, feeling overwhelmed at how dumb he had been as a kid. He had ruined a good friendship they had, all because he didn’t understand Tweek well enough. Well, this time it was going to change. Craig was older now, and he wasn’t going to let these things ruin anything anymore. Tweek still seemed as panicky and twitchy as he was once before, and Craig was determined to help him. 

Craig was determined to become friends again. He only hoped Tweek would want to as well …

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Craig's job is actually based off of my job right now -w- b   
> I feel making him a stereotypical fast food worker would've been overused to an extreme. So, I went with something similar, but different as well! 
> 
> So, here's Hospital Worker Craig, for all of you~!


End file.
